March 28, 2024
Analysis

Will the real Kim Il Sung please stand up?

Almost three decades after his death, stories claiming the North Korean founder was an imposter live on

This month, North Korea commemorated the 28th anniversary of founder Kim Il Sung’s death, with his grandson and current leader Kim Jong Un paying respects to his embalmed remains at Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.

However, for the conspiracy-minded, a question lingers: Who was the real Kim Il Sung? A persistent rumor claims that Kim Il Sung the Manchurian partisan and Kim Il Sung of North Korea were, in fact, two different people.

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